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(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Blocking just one gene could lead to new anti-aging treatments for the skin.

Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine found blocking a single gene, called NF-êB, can reverse aging in the skin of mammals. They used a transgenic mouse model to test the effect of blocking the gene in the basal layer of the mouse epidermis. Two weeks later, both the global gene expression profile and the tissue characteristics of the aged skin were rejuvenated to that of a young animal.

“Here we show that aging in mouse skin can be reversed by blocking a single gene… These findings suggest that aging is not just a result of wear and tear, but is also the consequence of a continually active genetic program that might be blocked for improving human Men’s health,” lead researcher Dr. Howard Chang, Stanford University School of Medicine, was quoted as saying.

The findings show while the activity of NF-êB usually increases as mammals’ age, blocking NF-êB in the skin can rejuvenate the tissue. The authors say being able to use a genetic intervention late in life to rejuvenate aged skin implies “the aging program is plastic, and therefore can be potentially manipulated to decrease the deleterious effects of aging.”

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Genes & Development, published online Nov. 29, 2007

This entry was posted on Friday, November 30th, 2007 at 3:11 pm and is filed under Medical News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.